Every year, many Americans travel from the comfort of their homes on a chilly November afternoon to brave the elements for one reason only: turkey!

OK, maybe Thanksgiving is not just about the turkey, but turkey is really good. (I hear tofurkey makes a fine substitute for you veggies out there.)

There are a million reasons that Thanksgiving is a positive holiday. One of the most basic is the celebration of the first European settlers in the United States. This reason, of course, loses some of its prevalence as we get older and realize we’re pretty much celebrating stealing land and slaughtering innocent people. This holiday has morphed into a celebration of all we have to be thankful for.

Many people spend the holiday with family members being thankful for each other and the time they get to spend together. Some people say thanks for things like job opportunities, new cars, bonuses or closing a deal on their second condo.

Others are thankful for not getting caught with their mistresses, or that their embezzlement wasn’t uncovered before they could return the money collected with their obsessive gambling addictions (which is how they lost the money in the first place).

This is not what Thanksgiving is all about.

We should be thankful that we get another year to see our families; to talk with them and enjoy their company. We should be thankful for everyone’s good health and that our family members were blessed enough to make it to another year.

We should be thankful to have homes, loved ones, food and all of the things we take for granted every day of our lives. Every other day we complain and whine about what we don’t have; make this the one day we are thankful for what we do have.

As we get older, we have less time to see our families and other loved ones, which is why we should all look forward to this day of thanks. A crisp late fall day with leaves turning colors, a blazing fire and hot chocolate could not be spent with better people, or with better food.

Most families seem to have a standard Thanksgiving dinner of turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, vegetables, some bread product and pie. I don’t care who you are, you will find something enticing in that laundry list of delectable foods. Because it is only served once (maybe twice) a year, it is so much more special. We learn to appreciate the foods we aren’t often blessed enough to enjoy.

One more reason to go to Thanksgiving: tryptophan. One scientist explains that the combination of tryptophan in turkey and carbohydrates consumed at Thanksgiving is what has the potential to put you to sleep. Keep in mind; if you add a glass of wine to that, you will be out cold for a delicious, much-needed nap.

There are so many reasons to look forward to Thanksgiving, and to go visit family. I think Little Richard said it best in a recent Geico commercial. “Mashed potatas, gravy and cranberry sauce! Whoooooo!”

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